March 27, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For a second straight day Purdue track and field athletes dominated their outdoor season opener, the Purdue Invitational. Highlighting the afternoon for the Boilermakers were Lindsay Blaine, Tiffany Colvin, Scott Hecht and Shaun Guice, all of whom posted NCAA regional qualifying marks.
Guice, a six-time All-American, won the high jump title in his season debut with a NCAA regional qualifying leap of 7 feet, 2 1/2 inches (2.20 meters). Guice missed all of indoor season because he had no remaining eligibility, and is currently in his final outdoor season. The Lima, Ohio, native has won four All-America titles in the high jump during the indoor season and two during outdoor's.
Guice's teammates Derek Watkins and Brian Hoying wrapped up the second and third spots in the high jump. Both athletes finished with a top height of 6-8 3/4 (2.05).
Purdue also had a successful run in the women's high jump with Colvin and Lindsay Singleton leading the way. Colvin, a newcomer to the team, posted a NCAA regional qualifying height of 5-8 (1.73) and Singleton came in two inches behind at 5-6 (1.68), tying with Notre Dame's Jennifer Kearney.
Kern Woods put together a solid day competing on the track and in the field. In the long jump, Woods led a three-way Boilermaker sweep, finishing with a top distance of 23-9 1/2 (7.25). John Lampert came in second at 23-8 3/4 (7.23) and freshman Rayland Currie earned the bronze medal at 22-8 (6.91). In the 110-meter hurdles, Woods crossed the finish line second in 14.85, which was .07 seconds behind unattached competitor Dave Ashford.
Following his third-place finish in the long jump, Currie went on to win the triple jump competition with a leap of 45-10 (13.57).
Blaine captured her NCAA regional mark, launching the javelin 149-04 (45.53) for her first collegiate career victory, while teammate Angela Anoliefoh placed fourth in her season debut with an effort of 123-06 (37.65).
Elsewhere in the field, Hecht won the men's discus title with a NCAA regional mark of 168-8 (51.42) and freshman Astin Steward made it a Purdue sweep with her winning launch of 140-8 (42.89).
Boilermakers wins from the track included Dedrick Tillerson in the 400-meter (48.56), and Kara Lahey and Kyle Orender in the 1,500. The women's 4x400 meter relay team of Ina Jackson, Kim Jordan, Gina Harvey and Ashley Kemp won its race to finish the meet; the quartet completed the course in 3:50.03. Earlier in the day, Harvey took runner-up honors in the 200 dash with a mark of 25.36. Also placing second on the track was sprinter T'Nita Waters, who clocked a 12.72 in the 100-meter dash.
Purdue splits into two camps next weekend. One half of the team will compete at the Texas Relays in Austin (April 2-3), while the other half travels to Columbus, Ohio, for the Ohio State Relays (April 3).
The Boilermakers return home to Rankin Track and Field on April 23 for the two-day Big Ten Preview Invitational.